Most vinyl ester resins and unsaturated polyester resins contain polymerizable, vaporizable, ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as styrene as a reactive diluent. Since styrene or other polymerizable, vaporizable, ethylenically unsaturated monomer is a volatile component which tends to be released to the atmosphere during storage and/or curing of the thermosettable vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester resins, it is becoming more and more desirable to reduce the level of styrene or other polymerizable, vaporizable monomer which is released to the atmosphere during storage and/or cure. One method for reducing the release of styrene or other polymerizable, vaporizable monomer into the atmosphere is to include ceresin wax in the formulation. While this does indeed reduce the amount of styrene released into the atmosphere, the composition suffers from a loss in secondary adhesion. It would therefore be highly desirable and beneficial to incorporate into the formulation components which will eliminate or decrease the loss in secondary adhesion.
It has now been discovered that the improvement in loss in secondary adhesion from polymerizable, vaporizable, ethylenically unsaturated monomer such as styrene containing vinyl ester and unsaturated polyester formulations containing ceresin wax as a polymerizable, vaporizable, ethylenically unsaturated monomer emission suppressant can be accomplished by incorporating into the formulation a combination of a drying oil such as corn oil and an epoxidized drying oil such as epoxidized soybean oil.